


Betrayal

by et_cetera55



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-10-07
Updated: 2009-10-07
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/et_cetera55/pseuds/et_cetera55
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack's perspective of what happens on the Valiant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Betrayal

During the first month of Jack’s captivity the Master had been a regular visitor. He had seemed fascinated by Jack’s ‘condition’: whilst hurling abusive names at the Captain, the Master had devised many inventive new ways to kill him. Occasionally he had tossed in the odd interrogation about what Martha was doing, but mostly he just seemed to delight in Jack’s pain. Jack just tried to ignore him – he found it was remarkably easy to do when screaming in agony as burning brands were applied to his chest, or when a whip was cracking down over his arms and legs. Each time he came back to life he repeated the promise to himself that he would never say anything before trying to occupy his mind with something painless… it was difficult…

 

Now though, something new was happening. The Master had ordered one of his minions to bring in a TV screen which was mounted at eye level in front of Jack. The screen was blank at the moment and remained that way until the Master once more entered the cell.

“I thought you might like to see a little show…” the Master sneered.

Jack felt sick as he started to imagine all of the things the Master would show him to break him: people dying…countries being decimated…Martha captured…

The screen flickered into life, showing the aged appearance of the Doctor. Jack’s worst thoughts were realised: he was going to see the Doctor being tortured… Jack had never told the Doctor how much he loved him, but he did. And now he was going to have to watch this…

_The Doctor on the screen suddenly screamed as his body got younger and younger. The Master must have used his sonic screwdriver to temporarily reverse the aging._

_“Please,” the Doctor begged, sobbing. “Please. It’s not too late to stop. I can help you. My friend, let me help you…_

The video stopped. Jack didn’t understand why he had been shown that clip. The Doctor had been in pain at the beginning, true, but it didn’t seeme to compare to the duration of torture that Jack had suffered.

The Master turned to Jack and smiled horribly. He pulled a knife from his belt and walked towards the chained man, waving the blade in front of him. Suddenly The Master’s hand shot out and the blade stabbed into Jack’s stomach. Jack gritted his teeth, determined not to give The Master the pleasure of hearing his screams as the blade stabbed into him again and again, into his chest and his thighs and his groin. All the time the pictures on the TV screen were on loop and as Jack felt the sharp stabs and pouring blood he could hear,

_Please…My friend, let me help you_

Finally The Master left, leaving the video on loop. The last thing Jack heard before he died from the blood loss was The Doctor begging.

* * *

What Jack presumed was the next day had The Master walking into Jack’s cell and showing him another video clip of The Doctor,

_“Master, you and I were friends. We looked after each other. Let me look after you now.”_

That joined the previous clip on loop, baffling Jack as The Doctor did not seem to be in much pain in the new footage. How was this supposed to be tormenting him? Yet again The Master left it on loop as he walked up to Jack brandishing a blowtorch. As Jack fried, screaming in agony, above it all he could hear _Let me look after you now_

This routine carried on. Day after day The Master would bring in new footage of The Doctor trying to reason with him, recall him to their friendship and day after day this footage would be left repeating over and over as he tortured Jack to death.

As the combined clips reached an hour in length before repeating Jack was starting to understand why The Master was doing this: watching the man he loved, a man he called his friend show kindness and understanding to his torturer, the man who came and killed him day after day, was galling. But Jack knew he was only being shown what The Master wanted him to see. He knew The Doctor wouldn’t abandon him…not this time…

* * *

Months had gone by and as Jack gasped the first breath of this latest life he caught sight of that f*cking video again. The Master had got wise to the fact that Jack just used to turn his head away from the video screen whenever his torturer was gone and so now TV screens were on placed on every wall, on the floor and on the ceiling. Jack couldn’t avoid watching his supposed friend show sympathy and kindness to The Master. The rational thoughts telling him he was only being shown what The Master wanted to see had now been reduced to a whisper and been replaced by a fierce rage and anger against his traitorous friend.

Jack wanted to break down and weep but wouldn’t give The Master the satisfaction. Instead he ground his teeth and thought about all of the ways he would like to kill the bastard.

The torturing to death continued to the soundtrack of The Doctor _We were friends. I still care for you. Let me help you. Let me stop it._ and Jack could slowly feel himself breaking under the strain of it all.

Martha’s mum entered the cell and started clearing up the bloody rags and implements that littered the floor. She looked terrible, so thin and drawn.

“I’m so sorry,” Jack could barely whisper.

“Sssh,” she said. “I’m not allowed to talk to you,” she whispered with her back to the guard looking in at the door. “I’ve got a message from The Doctor.”

Jack didn’t say anything. Just because his hope in the man was lost completely didn’t mean he should destroy this woman’s hope.

“He said to say, “One month left. Stay with me Jack.””

With that the woman slowly shuffled out of the room again. Only one month left? Until what? Jack couldn’t remember if he ever knew of something that was going to happen in one month. _Stay with me Jack_ So The Doctor did at least think of him…and then went and _cared_ for The Master. No, he couldn’t let himself fall for The Doctor’s friendship again, couldn’t get hurt so badly again.

_We were friends. I still care for you._

* * *

Despite himself, despite his loss of faith in the timelord, Jack had been counting down the month. Today was the last day. He would be ready.

Over the last month of pain and agony he had realised the most painful truth of all. Looking again at those damned video screens he had noticed what he should have seen before…The Doctor had loved The Master, still did. Jack couldn’t understand why or how he could? The Master was evil! Twisted and sick and cruel and evil!

There was movement outside and Jack braced himself.

* * *

As the Doctor hugged and wept over The Master’s body Jack could only stand and look at him. He understood fully now the love the Doctor had for the other timelord. He realised that if he were in the Doctor’s shoes and the Doctor in The Master’s shoes he probably would have done the same — tried to save the man he loved from himself.

He understood why the Doctor had tried so hard. He was even trying to forgive the Doctor for loving the man who tortured them both so cruelly. But he could never forget…


End file.
